Magnetism
by Miss Pookamonga
Summary: SPOILERS FOR "SLEEPERS." That metal tray isn't the only thing that's stuck to him.


_Dear Readers,_

_So after the SQUEE of EPIC SQUEEAGE of "Sleepers," it is only to be expected that I would write a fic like this. Because we all know this is what happened after the last scene, right? ::winkwinknudgenudge:: This is dedicated to the wonderful girls on the Tesla/JY thread and the H/N shipper thread on Gateworld. Merry Rufflemas!_

_Best regards from a bookworm (and now even MORE obsessed Tesla fangirl),_

_Miss Pookamonga ;-P _

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**Magnetism

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He was waving that tray around excitedly like it was some kind of toy, grinning giddily like a little schoolboy.

Normally, Helen would have made some tiny sarcastic remark about the situation to poke fun at him, but this time, all she wanted to do was just sit there and watch him—to smile gently at the way this simple discovery had now captured him in a state of childlike glee.

It was the little sparkle in his clear blue eyes that brought a lump to her throat. That tiny twinkle that had been clouded ever since that moment in the apartment. She had gotten so used to seeing it dance across his irises whenever she had been with him that those rare and few times during which the light had darkened had always left her feeling painfully hollow. As if a priceless treasure had suddenly disappeared without a trace of its very existence.

But now the light had suddenly returned, and his eyes were vibrant and _alive _again, dancing with joy and exhilaration at his new discovery. Helen couldn't help the tears forming at the base of her own eyes at the expression of pure and fragile innocence on his face, at the unmasked Nikola Tesla who inside was still very much like a vulnerable child, who desperately _needed _someone to comfort him, to protect him, to constantly remind him that he was loved.

Helen was suddenly roused from her thoughts when she heard a metallic _clink _of the tray dropping from Nikola's hand to the table. She returned his adorable little grin of satisfaction as he turned to look at her, but the moment he did so, the tray suddenly shot back up to his palm.

Nikola furrowed his brow at this unexpected predicament and tried waving his arm up and down gently in an attempt to detach the tray from his hand.

It refused to budge.

Helen bit her lip, trying desperately to suppress the giggles rising up in her throat as Nikola decided to pry the tray off with his free hand—only to find that the tray apparently wanted to stick to _it _too.

He was in the process of dangling the tray from his fingertips, hoping that it would fall to the floor, when Helen finally lost it. The giggles bubbled forth from her mouth as she set her glass upon the table, all the while shaking her head at Nikola's ridiculous display.

"For goodness' _sake_, Nikola, give it here," she laughed, reaching her hands towards him. She grabbed the edge of the tray in one hand and wrapped the other around his wrist, then yanked the two apart and placed the tray back on the table.

"Well it was about _time _you pitched in to help," he muttered, pretending to be upset.

"You could have _asked_," Helen replied, still grinning madly.

Nikola rolled his eyes at that but didn't say anything, because his eyes suddenly fell to his lap, where his hand was now resting—with Helen's still firmly clasped around his wrist.

Helen followed his gaze and blushed when she noticed that she hadn't let go of him. She figured she probably should, since his hand was obviously free of the tray now, but for some reason she couldn't will her hand to move. She relaxed her grip, but her fingers remained poised against his skin.

Nikola's face softened when he realized that Helen wasn't going to pull her hand away anytime soon. Gently, he slipped his hand backward so that her fingers brushed smoothly against his palm. He then curled his own fingers around them and delicately lifted her hand to his lips, holding her gaze as he softly placed a kiss against her knuckles.

The moment his gaze locked with hers, all the air was swept out of Helen's lungs and she was left to stare breathlessly into the unfathomable depth of his lovely, _beautiful _eyes as he lifted her hand to his mouth. Breath only came rushing in again when he pressed his lips against her skin, the little tingles of what she swore was still electricity awakening her senses once more.

She suddenly noticed that Nikola hadn't lowered her hand and was just frozen there, gazing softly at her. Her eyes roamed over his face for a second before she decided to slip her hand away from his grasp and lay her palm against his cheek. His own eyes jumped in surprise at the gesture, but he soon leaned into her touch, bringing his hand to rest atop hers.

"Helen," he breathed, his voice low, as his thumb gently caressed the back of her hand.

"Yes?" she murmured, leaning just a tiny bit closer, her heart beating furiously against her ribcage.

"I suppose you like me better now that I'm no longer a vampire."

Helen pulled back suddenly, her eyes widening in shock. "Nikola…no! Of _course _not—"

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." His hand fell limply towards the couch.

"_Nikola_," Helen replied insistently, firmly cupping his face in both her hands and staring intently into his eyes, "I could care less whether you're normal, a vampire, a…human magnet…I don't care _what _you are as long as you're _you._"

There was a long silence during which Nikola just returned her stare, his expression unreadable. Then—

"You mean that?"

His voice sounded so small and helpless that Helen couldn't resist the desire to embrace him any longer. Leaning forward, she captured his lips in a soft kiss, lingering just a moment before pulling away slightly.

"You'll always be the man I first met at Oxford," she whispered, her eyes softening at the memory. "The one who saw me for _me_, the one who believed in me when no one else did…"

She paused for a moment to smile tenderly at him, holding back tears as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. She didn't know exactly when he leaned back into her, closing the breath's space between them; all she knew was that suddenly his arms were wrapped around her—one around her waist and the other, her neck—and his lips were pressing against hers, hopefully awaiting her reciprocation.

Helen didn't waste a moment to accept Nikola's invitation, eagerly pressing back against his mouth as her hands slipped from his face and came to rest around his neck. He turned towards the back of the couch as he pulled her closer, his arms reaching around her back and firmly holding her against him. She moaned softly as his lips moved ever so slowly, gently urging hers to part. In answer to his tender questioning, Helen let his mouth ease hers open, moaning again when his tongue ran delicately between her lips.

"_Nikola…_" She barely had a chance to breathe out his name before he began to explore her further, pushing her lightly against the back of the couch as he did so.

A delightful shudder rippled through Helen's body as Nikola slipped one hand from her waist down her thigh to rest upon her knee, while the other threaded through her hair. She sighed as she felt his fingertips gently tracing little circles against the skin just below her skirt, and she pulled him closer, running her fingers through his own mess of hair. A tiny moan escaped his throat at the gesture, and she smiled against his mouth, still reveling in the sweet taste of him tingling upon her tongue.

The two were so blissfully lost in each other that neither of them took notice of the strange humming sound that had begun to vibrate through the room just moments before, nor did they take notice of the increasingly frenetic flickering of every light bulb in the vicinity. They were startled to awareness only when a loud, jarring _pop _caused both of them to jump apart in shock and open their eyes to find that Helen's office had suddenly been plunged into darkness.

Helen let out a little gasp and her eyes widened in bewilderment as they met their darkened surroundings. "That's not…"

She stopped short, suddenly noticing the _enormous_ grin on Nikola's face.

Nikola chuckled when Helen didn't say anything more but instead just gaped at him with her jaw hanging half-open. "Oh, _Helen_," he laughed, smirking at her, "don't you remember your physics? Magnetic fields are the cause of electrical currents…"

"Of _course _I remember," she suddenly snapped, trying to cover for herself. She was silently grateful for the dim lighting hiding her blush of embarrassment. "I was merely…"

"Merely what?" His grin widened, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"I was merely…wondering if…if I spun you back and forth in circles whether that would create a massive alternating current." Helen lifted her chin and smirked back at him.

Nikola raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You wouldn't really try that, would you?" he queried.

Helen's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I highly doubt that the good residents of this Sanctuary would appreciate you causing a major power surge," he replied. "Especially what's-his-name, Tiny Tim—"

"_Henry_," Helen corrected.

"Whatever."

She made a move to slap him playfully on the cheek at that, but she suddenly found that she could not move her wrist away from Nikola's neck.

"What on…" Her eyes caught a glimpse of the metal bracelet wrapped around her arm, and she let out an amused huff of disbelief.

"Well," Nikola murmured, leaning back towards her, "it appears that you are stuck with me."

Helen's face softened as he continued to move closer. "It must be my lucky day," she whispered with a genuine smile, gladly accepting the soft kiss he placed upon her mouth before she lifted her feet up and curled her legs underneath her.

"Indeed," Nikola replied quietly, shifting his body so that Helen could rest her head against his shoulder.

Helen sighed happily and nuzzled into the warmth of Nikola's body as he nestled his chin in her hair. If there was one man she didn't mind being "stuck with," it was most definitely Nikola. And as far as she was concerned, she was going to do everything within her power to make sure that she was stuck with him for life.

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**FIN**


End file.
